Can Jordan Clarkson Become a Good Player on a Good Team?
By Hannah Kulik
Jordan Clarkson was the best player on a bad Lakers team last year. It is likely he will be the best player on another bad team this next season. Despite one’s personal accomplishments, however, the goal is always to play for a team that is in contention. Certainly the Lakers aspire to be in a position to contend for a title. It is likely to take quite a while for that to happen, and even then it will take a great deal of luck and several young players on the roster will have to meet or exceed their perceived potential. In the case of Clarkson, while we know he can be a good player on a losing team, does he have what it takes to be a good player on a team with a winning record?
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This is not a trick question, but it is more complicated than one might originally imagine. On any team, good or bad, by the end of the season someone will be the leading scorer, grab the most rebounds, and hand out the most assists. In the horrific 2013-14 season, Nick Young led the Lakers in scoring while averaging 17.9 points per game. Yet most observers dismiss the notion that Young could ever be a good player on a good team. Is it just as meaningful to be the leading scorer on the Philadelphia 76ers or the Charlotte Hornets as it is to score the most points on the San Antonio Spurs or the Golden State Warriors? Probably not, because two of those teams are losers every year while the other two are contenders. There have been many players in NBA history with great stats on losing teams, which makes it hard to evaluate the true measure of the player. Since the goal of every NBA team is to win, the trick is to show you can be a major contributor on a good team.
Modern examples of players with great individual statistics, while often playing for lousy teams, are Carmelo Anthony, Tracy McGrady, Antawn Jamison, and Vince Carter. The first thing that comes to mind when these names are mentioned is that they were all prolific scorers but in the end they never achieved the success that was predicted for them early in their careers. For all the flash they originally showed, they ended up bouncing from team to team being good players on bad teams but never proving they could be good players on a good team.
It is hard to judge those players who win NBA rookie-of-the year for this same reason. Inevitably the top rookie plays for the worst team because it is the team with the worst record that usually gets the top selection in the draft. Andrew Wiggins won this past season but his team amassed the worst record in the league. Michael Carter Williams was rookie of the year the season before on an equally bad 76ers team. No one knows if they will rise to the level of good players on good teams like Damian Lillard and Kyrie Irving or whether their careers will be like those of Steve Francis, Mike Miller, Emeka Okafor, and Tyreke Evans, all of whom had good moments but none of whom has shown he can be a big contributor on a winning team. All of these players were rookies of the year at one time.
Which brings us to the case of Clarkson. That we are even raising this question in the context of a mid-second round draft choice is shocking in itself. People like to compare Clarkson to other successful second round picks, the most recent example of whom is Draymond Green. The comparison is not a good one, however, because if Green were playing for a team as bad as the Lakers – say Charlotte or Philadelphia – would anyone be talking about him or would he have been in a position to sign a max contract? Instead, he was fortunate to be drafted by a championship-caliber team which makes him relevant, especially since he has proven to be a very worthy role player for the Warriors. Clarkson does not have the luxury of filling a niche on a team with other superstars who are expected to carry the load. Clarkson has to the one to carry the load.
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No one can predict with certainty how Clarkson’s game will evolve. My best guess is that he can and will prove to be a good player on a good team. There are many elite athletes playing in the NBA but it takes more than skill to be a transcendent player. It takes hard work, heart, and dedication. No matter how one evaluates Clarkson on the talent scale, no one can question that this is a guy who lives and breathes basketball. When last season was over Clarkson was the one guy who could be seen working out nearly every day at the Lakers’ practice facility. When he was interviewed after Summer League games he sounded like he was ready to go out and play another full game the same night. He never seems to tire. He just keeps going and going, attacking and attacking. You get the feeling that Clarkson plays to be the best, not just for the money.
Clarkson showed great progress from last year’s out-of-control Summer League player to the point he finally started getting consistent minutes on the court in January. He showed even greater progress between January and the end of the season, where he came out of nowhere to make the first-team All-Rookie team. In head-to-head competition against fellow point-guard rookies Marcus Smart of Boston and Dante Exum of Utah, both of whom were high first round draft choices, Clarkson outplayed them both by a wide margin. He was the best player on the Lakers’ Summer League team this year and one of the best players in the Summer League period.
In sum, Clarkson’s career is on a rapid upward trajectory. Where it will level out is open to speculation, and any second round choice will continue to have his share of doubters. But the feeling here is that Clarkson is special. He leaves no stone unturned in his zeal to improve his game. He plays every minute of every game as though he has something to prove, as though he is about to be cut. That kind of drive and passion cannot be taught. It is indicative of a player who can and will one day be a very good player on a good team.